Christina is a mom of two living in Columbus, OH. She recently finished nursing school and can be found blogging at A Mommy Story and Hot by BlogHer or on Twitter as @mommystory.

I’m one of the lucky women who didn’t gain a lot of weight when pregnant, but my luck ran out after each of my daughters was born. Blaming the stress of being a new mom for my weight gain might make me feel better, but the truth is I gained weight because I let myself overeat and didn’t exercise. I let breastfeeding be my excuse to eat without restriction, and I strongly believed the mantra “sleep when the baby sleeps.” I put on more weight in the first year of both my children’s lives than I did while pregnant with them.

In the past four months, however, I put aside my excuses and decided it was time for a change. I’ve lost 20 pounds so far, and I’ve realized it only takes small changes to make a big difference in your weight loss, as long as you’re ready to make those changes. Here are my tips for other new moms trying to shed some baby weight:

Make your home your gym. If it’s tough to get out of the house because of the baby, invest in some hand weights and a good workout DVD or two and exercise while the baby sleeps.

Look for new mom fitness groups. There are several types of workout classes designed to let you bring your baby along, whether it’s strollercize or mother-baby yoga. The additional advantage is you’ll meet other moms with similar goals.

Find a buddy. If you have a friend trying to get fit, work together on your goals. Or ask your spouse – my husband has been one of my biggest supporters and often joins me for workouts.

Be accountable. I’m successful when I know someone else is keeping track. I blog about my progress, including updating photos so others can see how well I’m doing. It keeps me honest with myself, and it keeps me motivated.

The most important tip, though, is making the commitment to be healthy for yourself and your family!

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